Method of making multiple windowpane units



May 12, 1942;" L. w. sHuT'rs METHOD OF MAKING MULTIPLE WINDOWPANE UNITS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed March 23, 1936 L. W. SHUTTS METHOD OF MAKING MULTIPLE WINDOWPANE UNITS May 12, 1942.

Original Filed March 23, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 1942. L. w. sHu'r'rs METHOD OF MAKING MULTIPLE WINDOWPANE UNITS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Emm -M 5 Original Filed March 23, 1936 f I M Patented May 12, 1942 METHOD OF MAKING MULTIPLE WINDOWPANE UNITS Leroy W. Shutts, Lockport, N. Y., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Original application March 23, 1936, Serial No. 70,182, now Patent No. 2,173,664, dated September 19, 1939.

Divided and this application August 1, 1939, Serial No. 287,789

3 Claims.

This invention is a division of my U. S. Patent No. 2,173,664 of September 19, 1939, issued pursuant to an application S. N. 70,182, filed March 23, 1936. It relates to a method of making a multiple window pane unit having an insulating air space between spaced panes to reduce the heat exchange from one side to the other of a window and to prevent undesirable condensation on the window when there is a different temperature on either side thereof and a high relative humidity on the warmer side.

It has long been appreciated that the use of an insulating air space between two panes would retain the temperatures of the respective panes more nearly at the temperature on the inside and outside of the window, and attempts have been made to secure this in many different ways, for particular purposes.

The development of air conditioning for rooms and the maintenance of ideal indoor atmospheric conditions irrespective of the outside conditions has increased the demand for a satisfactory double glazed window of simple construction.

The efiicacy of the air insulation depends on the extent to which the space between the panes is sealed from the inside and outside atmospheres. In any design in which the panes cannot be readily separated for cleaning the adjacent sides of the panes, the insulating air space should be completely and permanently sealed to prevent the "breathing which occurs with expansion and contraction due to temperature changes, and the consequent collection of moisture and dust within the separating space, which occurs if there is any leakage, however slight. Such collection of mois- A further object of the invention is a multiple window pane unit adapted for factory production 1 in standard sizes, but which is capable of construction in any desired size, on any given site, with but little necessary apparatus.

The above and other objects of the invention will be apparent as the description proceeds.

According to the invention the panes of glass, or other transparent material are mounted and sealed in spaced relation in frames built from suitable channeled section strip material. The strip material has channels for the panes spaced by an intervening separating ridge, the outer edges of the channels embracing the outside edges of the panes which are held and hermetically sealed in the frame so provided by a suitable thermoplastic sealing compound.

The drawings show the various parts of a double glass window pane unit, and the manner in which it is assembled.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a completed double glass window pane unit in perspective.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line 33 of Fig, 1.

Fig. 4 is a view showing the component parts in associated but unassembled relationship.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the double glass window pane unit in a first stage of assembly.

Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of the component parts of the doubleglass window pane unit all assembled in proper relationship with the exception of one corner piece of the frame.

Fig. '7 shows a spring loaded jig in which the assembly is placed before being heated to, the free flowing temperature of the sealing compound at which the spring load is capable of squeezing the parts of the assembly together into their final closed position.

Fig. 8 shows the double glass window pane assembly in position in the jig, with springs exerting an equilibrated pressure on all sides thereof.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 6, the panes of glass I and 2 are held in separated relationship in frames of a suitable material such as copper and consisting of side members 3 and 4, end members 5 and 6 and corner pieces 1, 8, 9 and Ill.

The side and end members are cut with mitered ends from suitable strip copper rolled to the section shown most clearly in Figures 2 and 3. The channel grooves are sufliciently wide to provide a free fit, of capillary dimensions between the channel and glass.

1 Air insulating space of any desired thickness may be provided by making the strip with a separating portion of the requisite width between the two channels. A separation as small as has been found suflicient for all normal requirements.

A vent hole is provided in one of the members 3, 4, 5 or 6 for reasons later to be given. In the drainings this vent hole is shown at H in the member 3 in Figure 3.

Bitumen has been found a satisfactory sealing compound. By extrusion into cold water the bitumen may be formed into a string at room temperature in which form it can be very conveniently used.

In assembling, the panes and the metal strips be cut to proper size, bitumen I! in the form of r tring II as shown in Fig. 5, is placed in each channel groove of the strips. The two panes of glass are placed in the grooves of one side strip as shown in Figure and the opposite strip is placed on top of the panes. The ends of the glass panes are then, in turn, set into the end strips and a small piece of bitumen is placed over the corners within the external groove of the strips and the corner pieces are then pushed on.

The assembly with all its component parts separated by the bitumen string, as shown in Figure 6, is then placed in the self-aligning jig shown in Figure '7. This consists of a pair of end members l3 and I4 and a floating pair of side members II and I6. Pivotally attached to the ends oi each member I: and I4 are bell crank levers i1 and I! each having rollers l9, capable of bearing against the side members II and I. The bell crank levers are so arranged that forces applied, between the bell crank levers at those ends of the end members opposite to each other, in a direction to draw the end members together, will,

through the rollers I, tend to thrust the side members together. The required forces are provided by coil springs which are hooked over the bell crank levers l8 and which through tumbuckles 2| are connected through short pivotal links 22, to the bell crank levers ll of each end member.

Fig. 8 shows the double glass window pane assembly in-position in the jig with the springs exerting a pressure tending to squeeze all the parts together into their proper position.

The entire assembly including the jig is next placed in an oven and heated to an even temperature suflicient to melt the bitumen sealing compound so that it will freely flow, but not high enough to volatalize the bitumen or to drive of! any vapors or smoke therefrom. When such a temperature is maintained for a suiilcient period of time the bitumen flows between the glass and the channels in the frame and at the same time the window pane assembly is squeezed together by the spring pressure of the jig. The bitumen only flows and makes a seal-and a suflicient bond between the parts, at the places between which there is capillary attraction, and the clearance between the glass and the sides of the channels of the strip must be such as to provide this.

Probably for the reason that due to its ex pansion, the pressure of the air between the panes is a little higher than the outside pressure, the

bitumen does not flow over the inside of the glass panes, although any excess bitumen will flow over the outside of the glass at the edges of the frame.

The vent hole previously mentioned is provided in order to provide a definite path for the egress of air from between the panes as it expands in the oven and to permit a return flow of air between the panes as the assembly is returned to room temperature. Without such a vent hole it is found that the air will find its own path of flow out of and into the space between the panes at an indeterminate point, and since the inflow of air takes place therethrough as the asphalt is cooling and solidifying to a point at which it is incapable of flowing, it is not able automatically to seal itself, nor can the place where sealing is required, be readily found even if it were capable of being sealed by other means. The vent hole provides a determinate path which can be sealed with bitumen or any other suitable cement when the assembly has cooled to room temperature and panes.

aaaaaar The double glass window pane can then be tested for leaks by immersing it in warm water, which heats the air in the space between the panes causing bubbles to form at any minute opening or crack. y

The double glass window pane is then a complete unitwith all its Joints hermetically sealed and with the advantage of protection to the edges of the glass, having the appearance shown in Fig. 1, and capable of comparatively rough handling without being broken or spoiled. Furthermore, since the panes are cut somewhat smaller than the inside dimensions of the frame in its final condition of assembly, the glass is not at any time subjected to any considerable pressure during any part of the fabrication of the double glass window pane and the possibilities of breakage in manufacture are thereby reduced.

While only a double glass window pane has been shown in the drawings, the invention is not limited thereto, for it will be appreciated that a multiple glass window pane unit having three or more spaced panes, each in its respective channel in a frame of strip material having the required number of channels spaced from each other by separating ridges, is equally within the ambit of the invention.

I claim:

1. The method of making a multiple window pane unit with a sealed insulating space between the panes and a frame with sides of strip material bonded to its edges, said strip material being formed with channels spaced from each other by a separating ridge, which consists in laying a sufllcient quantity of a suitable thermoplastic sealing compound in the channels, assembling the component parts together by placing the panes in the channels of the sides of the frame. the sealing compound holding the sides of the frame in separated relationship, heating the-assembly to a temperature at which the thermoplastic flows, and simultaneously providing pres-- sure at the sides of the frame to squeeze the component parts together into their final position, any excesssealing compound in the channels being extruded over the outside of the panes, cooling the assembly to atmospheric temperature, and removing any excess sealing compound from the outside of the panes, at the edges of the frame.

2. The method according to claim 1, in which the frame is vented for the egress of trapped air expanding from between the panes as the temperature is raised, and for the ingress of air as the parts return to atmospheric temperature and the parts are bonded together, said venting being discontinued and the insulating space being sealed as soonas the air between the panes has returned to normal atmospheric temperature and LEROY W. SHUTTS. 

